Dedham event salutes Korean War veterans

Barry Sporrer, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, spoke during a supper honoring Korean War veterans in Dedham on Sunday.

Daily Times Herald photo by Paige Godden

DEDHAM — Nearly 80 veterans from the Korean War were honored with a dinner and short program at the American Legion in Dedham Sunday night.The supper was among the first of many events that will honor the Korean War veterans, as July 27, 2013 will mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean war.Ron Langel, Dedham American Legion commander, said the Sons of the American Legion asked the Dedham post members if they would host the event.“I heard one of these guys say they’ve been here for 60 years and they never received a thank you,” Langel said. “That is what this is about.”About the supper, Langel said that 60 years ago the veterans paid America’s tab and now the Legion would pay for theirs.Sid Morris, chairman of the Korean Veterans of Iowa, came from Cedar Rapids to attend the event.“I love it here. This is great,” Morris said. “The camaraderie here is just amazing.”Morris said he travels to many Korean War events across Iowa throughout the year, but the event in Dedham is the first of its kind that he has attended.He said honoring the veterans is important because of the significance of the Korean War.“You’ve heard the expression that freedom is not free,” Morris said. “The Korean war is a very good example of that.”He said the war stopped the spread of communism and the effects of that are apparent today.Morris said if people look at South Korea’s economy and the fact that it’s the seventh in the world in auto manufacturing, it’s obvious that the soldiers were fighting for something important.“I was very proud to be a part of that,” Morris said.Morris said he’s never seen a country’s people as appreciative as South Korea’s that the United States helped fight for them. Morris is the grandfather of Taylor Morris, a Navy bomb detection expert, who lost his limbs during a bomb blast in Afghanistan in May.